The troubles of the deep
by Kittycatblack101
Summary: The ocean is a vast dangerous place, full of life and mystery. She's young and making the most of her freedom, until trouble comes her way. And he doesn't what to let her go. Mermaid AU (that no one asked for)
1. Intro: Shipwreck

Hey guys, so it's been a while i had lost my inspiration with this fic as life was being busy, but i am back, i am redoing the chapters as they were not as i liked. i am sorry if the spelling or grammar is not good, i'm afraid that having moved countries when i was young means i did not learn the great english grammar. so if anyone would like to be my beta reader for this fic, don't hesitate i would most appreciate it. i should update the nest chapter soon, so i hope you guys enjoy this story of the deep. xx

...

She glided through the beautiful ocean, her birthplace, knowing that she could go anywhere, well not to the shark infested areas of course, that was just asking to get oneself killed, but she could laugh and swim with the dolphins, sing along to the wales songs, dance with the other merfolk, watch the unsuspected human ships crash through the waves above. And discover the treasures left behind when a ship went under, to fragile against the great oceans force.

She was lucky her parents let her swim off so much, trusting that she would watch out and keep her self safe, and always return home. But that morning she had left in a huff, as her mother and father had spoken at breakfast about how she was soon to come of age to find herself a potential partner to settle down with and have offspring. She was not against this, like most mermaids she could not wait to have children of her own to show them the wonders that lay under the sea, but she believed it to soon still for her.

She knew that when she had a partner, he would be the one to provide for them and she would be the one to look after their young, meaning that she would not be free to search the seabed for shells or go further out and find human objects in old coves and ships. She would have to sit and stay and wait for his return. And she was far from ready for that.

She was a curious mermaid, living for the moments when she discovered something new. That was why she found herself at that moment searching the deep blue waters below her for any sign of long forgotten ships. She had gone further than ever before, far past the perimeter of her home city, but that was where the best finds were to be found.

She eventually came to a stop, and her eyes lit up with excitement, as she gazed upon the old sunken ship just in-front of her. She approached cautiously passing her keen sight over the hollow vessel. It appeared to be an old cargo ship, a great find to investigate. Its wooden mask broken and laying across the deck, sea life clamming it as its home.

She continued to scout the shipwreck, keeping an eye open for danger around her as she approached a large hole on the left side and started to swim in, a shoal of colorful fish of different varieties swam by skirting around the intruder. Coral and sea urchins clung to the old wooden frames of the sunken ship.

She admired it all with lively mesmerized eyes. She approached the damaged cabins, looking at anything that could be useful. Collecting, scattered lost human objects that could be sold or exchanged back home. she noticed upon a wall sum-thing shiny. She moved the seaweed and found herself looking at her blurry reflection. She took a cloth from her little satchel around her hips and rubbed it against the mirror. Her blue belle eyes lighting up and a happy smile spread across her lips as she took in her reflection more clearly. It was a shame it was so big, she would have loved to have it hung on the wall of her room. Mermaids loved what the humans called mirrors, so they could gaze upon themselves.

She admired the carved markings adoring the exterior of the large mirror and as she looked one last time towards the middle of the mirror, she gasped in surprise, at the dark figure she saw floating behind her, half covered in shadows. She turned around with a start to see what the other being was that had crept up behind her. It's vibrant green eyes the only thing she could make out. Until it swam towards her, she backed up against the wall and hit the mirror with her back, watching anxiously at the young merman in-front of her who couldn't have been but a few years older then herself fixed her with an intensive gaze, tilting his head to the side in a curious gesture.

She could feel her heart beating so fast it hurt, she had been in dangerous situations more then once, be it a close call with a human vessel and nets, or sharks looking for lunch. But this was something else, mer people were usually civilized but they could still be dangerous, and unpredictable when unknown. Different merfolk coexisted but were some could be friendly others were very dangerous, lone merman usually meant trouble.

He approached her cautiously, and she was sure her heart was trying to jump out of her chest. Her eyes watched him, but would flick every few seconds this way and that to see an escape route.

She was cornered, the exit was a bit away. She berated herself, at being such easy prey. But just as he was closing in on her, there was a loud bang from above and they both looked up towards the ceiling, making the most of the distraction she took the chance and shot past the merman to the next hole. Quickly looking around before shooting out the ship, hopping to take cover in a cove nearby out of sight.

But she found herself being pulled back against a hard surface, she tried to look over her shoulder, realizing in her panic that the merman had taken hold of her and held her tight against his broad chest and had put a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet as he tried to listen out for the commotion going on above them. She tried to struggle, but he held her secure. Just as she was contemplating biting him, a bright light skimmed just over their heads and he let up on holding her body but kept a tight hold on her wrist and pulled her down with him to the seabed were the ship was wedged in the sand.

They looked up in union and seeing as they had not been spotted, the merman pulled her along after him. She had never been so afraid of being with another mer as she was at that moment. He was pulling her along not giving up on her wrist till they came to a stop, and feeling his hold loosen she ripped her hand from his pulling it to her chest and rubbing it gently as it stung with a little pain.

His curious vibrant green eyes looked her over. As she did the same, she had come across quite a few merfolk when she was young that would sometimes passe by her home town either to simply swim threw or to trade their goods, and being the curious mermaid she was, much to her parents dismay, she had cataloged all there differences, be it the color of their skin or the shape of their tails, yet this merman was like nothing she had ever seen, she was curious of were he was from, but also apprehensive. His tail was thicker than hers, it was black with a green shine to it, his skin a little sun kissed, his scales covering more of him like his elbows and up the side of his body, extra fins on his forearms and hips and what appeared to be pointed black ears covered by soft blond locks and she noticed the sharp claws on his webbed hands that could surely do great damage, feeling relieved he had not cut her with those. He looked like a hunter mer, one of the more dangerous merfolk.

He came closer and circled her making her jump as his flesh would skim across hers as he got to close. Making her try and swim away to keep their distance but he seemed set on being as close as possible. She could feel her gils working over time as she tried to get oxygen in her systems, but it seemed a lost cause when she felt it all leave her as he took her face in his hands tilting it up so that she was forced to look into his deep green eyes, and before she knew what was happening, she felt the press of lips to her own and then nothing just a darkness surrounding her.


	2. Chapter 2: The great ceremony

so hey again guys, i am on a roll today, so here is a nice chapter for you. please enjoy and maybe leave me a comment, they are always appreciated and help keep my motivation up. have a good swim. xx

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He had always wondered what lay beyond his home walls, but his father was very strict and forbid him to leave the confines of their home. His sweet mother had not been keen on this idea, as she believed he needed to see the outside world, be it the beautiful life that lay beyond there coral riff of their border, or the dangers that lurked every ware be it above the waves or down deep at the bottom off the ocean, were even the most mighty mers were afraid to even look.

She wanted him to meet the young of his age and be a social butterfly like herself. She was terrified that by isolating him, that it would cause him to grow up to be naive, awkward and utterly unprepared to face the world outside. But his father had promised his wife that when he was old enough he would learn to defend himself and hunt. Believing her husbands reassuring words, she accepted his choices and kept there son inside safe and sound.

As he grew up his mother taught him many things about the wold of the merfolk, be it there species or others that lived on other continents. He was happy to learn all the traditions of there people, and what they had achieved.

After some time his mother started to teach him about what they knew of the humans that lived above on the land, and the other animals there. Taken from old books that had survived the the water enough for them to be copied and translated to mer language, thanks to this the merpeople could learn about humans and there ways, to better prepare themselves just incase. He grew fascinated by their world and especially a strange animal they called a cat. He once asked his mother for one, she only laughed and said that they had nothing of the sort that lived under the water. He hoped one day when he was a merman, big and strong like his father wished. That he would see these humans and cats.

The years went by and when his scales had tuffendout with age and he started resembling the fierce mer who protected there home. His father had him taught how to be a hunter, a fighter. At first he was terrified, watching with still very young eyes, two merman fight each other, leaving nasty wounds upon each others flesh.

He did not want to hurt another mer like that, he did not understand why they had to fight. That night he had clung to his mother, babbling out all his distress. His mother was furious when she confronted his father. She could not believe he had thrown there child in to the deep end, without preparation, that their poor son was traumatized of thinking that he could one day become a monster.

His father disagreed believing that it would toughen the boy, they were a worrier species, there was no room for the weak. This was there way of life, there customs, they were possessive protectors off there homes and loved ones, they would fight to gain the favor of a mate, and provide for them.

His father believed his wife had gone soft on the boy and not taught him what he needed to know, instead filling his head with fairy tales from the human books.

They bickered and fought often over him but his father always won his way. He was the leader of there clan, you could even say king. He was hard and unafraid, and knew how to put someone back in there place. And he expected nothing less, then for his son to be the same.

So with his mother pushed to submission, he was trained by his father's finest merman, to teach his son the true ways, to hunt, even the biggest pray, with stealth, and cunningness. To fight for the first spot in their pod.

Gradually as time went on, hoping to make his father proud, he pushed his limits until he was the first mer above others. He had not know how his mother had wept as she watched her son become someone she did not recognize. faking smiles to her boy as he spoke of his triumphs, all she felt was her heart break.

He had been blind to many things, only having eyes full of hope for the praise his father would sometimes offer him. How all around him other mer feared him, how unbeknownst to himself he had become the monster of his nightmares.

But his father was proud, when gathering with other high members of their pod, he would exclaim in the others faces how his son was perfection, compared to theirs. He knew that his son would bring back the finest prize for the great ceremony.

The great ceremony, was a one time chance in a hunter mers life for only a chosen few. You were sent out into the large ocean, for six days to hunt and bring back the best prize, be it food, or the finest jules, something no others had ever brought back.

So on the early morning of the 1st day, he was full of nerves and excitement, he was finally going to see more of the ocean, to bring back the greatest prize to his parents. And claim his rightful place among the higher ups.

At the gate of there city, families had gathered around to bid good luck to the chozen mermen who were ready to in-bark on a great journey. It was a solo mission, everyone for themselves. His father taped him on the shoulder, saying few words of encouragement but that he was sure he would return victorious. And his mother who held him tight and told him to keep safe. He knew he never wanted to disappoint them, and promised to be home soon.

The days passed quickly and everybody was anxious to see the return of there young prodigies. On the evening of the six day, everyone in the city gathered at the gates to wait for their arrival. Sadly out of the eight that had left only 6 returned, they came back battered and bruised, some happy with their scars as they spoke of there death-defying travels, others just happy to be home safe.

As the night came the two families left started to believe the worst had happened to their children. The king would not have it, his son would return, there was no reason why he would not. But the next day still no sign of the two young mermen, and days turned to weeks, the family's wept for there sons. The queen could not stand the sight of her husband, who in her eyes had sent there son to his execution. So she banished herself in her lost sons chambers to mourn. The king himself did not understand how his great son could not have returned. He sent out searchers to find any trace of him, but they returned empty handed. The city life continued on but it was never the same. It became cold and miserable as if the life had been pulled from its sol. The king and queen never smiled again, and were rarely seen together.


End file.
